Community Shares of Wisconsin’s Executive Director, Crystel Anders, was among the “35 Madisonians Who Made 2011 Better” in the November cover feature of Madison Magazine.
Below is the intro and the item about Crystel, or you can read the full article.
People of the Year
35 Madisonians Who Made 2011 Better
By Brennan Nardi
Mother Teresa told the world that if you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one. Every day, all over this city, people practice what she preached. In food pantries, parks, churches, museums, health care facilities, libraries, gardens, community centers and corner offices—one by one but also in uniquely Madison partnerships—people are out there making life better.
At the Center: Crystel Anders
“As executive director of Community Shares of Wisconsin, I am most committed to the important work of our sixty-three member nonprofit organizations. This year marks our fortieth anniversary and I have had the honor of documenting, through interviews, what forty years of change looks like. It is through this retrospective lens that we see the power of community. I am honored to be a part of the community that is Community Shares of Wisconsin, and as a leader I believe I provide the support needed to keep us moving forward together. I believe that as individuals we have more in common than not, and by working together we can be a powerful vehicle for change.
I am most proud of my role with the launching of the new Center for Change. For over two years I have met with interested nonprofit organizations, potential sponsors and interested individuals to explore the possibilities of creating a space where people can meet and work together to build a community that is fair and just for everyone … The center provides a space for us to meet and find our common ground. I give because I want to make other people’s lives and our world a better place. As someone who has been lucky enough to have resources to give—including time, money and skills—I feel both a need and an obligation to share those resources.”
